Disabled people and parents with prams are increasingly being stranded at supposedly ”accessible” Tube stations due to an absence of trained staff.
Last year there were 126 occasions when lifts at Tube at stations were closed without any advance notice due to a trained member of staff not being present, compared to 51 incidents back in 2009.
As the latest disappointing figures on the Thames cable car showed that fewer people use it in a day than use the Tube in just two minutes, Caroline Pidgeon commented:
"Despite the cable car being long established and fast approaching its third anniversary its passenger numbers remain dismal.
"Quite frankly with so much public money spent on the project the best option would be to turn it into an integral form of public transport.
Speaking to politics.co.uk about the continued use by Transport for London of Personal Service Companies to pay employees - a practice which the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has said "generates suspicions of complicity in tax avoidance" and "fails to meet the standards expected of public officials" - Caroline Pidgeon commented:
"It is time the mayor got to grips with this issue and instructed TfL to adopt the same rules that apply to civil servants across all government departments and agencies.
Caroline Pidgeon AM, Liberal Democrat London Assembly transport spokesperson, commenting on today’s report by the House of Commons Transport Committee on river crossings, said:
“Far from being forward looking this report is based on ideas dating back to the 1970s.
“I think it is bitterly disappointing that the report totally overlooks the need for improved public transport links across the Thames, such as extending the London Overground across the Thames beyond Barking Riverside.
Caroline Pidgeon AM joined Vince Cable MP speaking at a rally organised by HACAN against expansion at Heathrow on Tuesday 3rd March.
"Given that there are 725,000 people affected by noise from Heathrow – no other airport in Europe comes close to this figure. AND a new runway would mean an additional 150,000 people under the flight path. It is simply unthinkable that a third runway could be built at Heathrow" commented Caroline.
Other key messages from Caroline's speech include:
"Existing capacity in the south east must be used more effectively. In summer 2012, 47% of runway slots at Stansted weren’t used, 51% at Luton, and 12% at Gatwick. Instead of a new runway at Heathrow, we should be prioritising improved rail links to the airports that already have spare capacity. It’s good to see that the line to Stansted will be four-tracked in the not too distant future."
"Even at Heathrow, though it is full, we know the terminals can handle a further 20 million passengers a year. Heathrow could look to shift to more long-haul flights or larger aircraft to increase passengers."
On National No Smoking Day, Caroline Pidgeon AM, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, has welcomed the decision by Transport for London to install no smoking signs in all of its bus shelters.
Caroline Pidgeon AM joined local parliamentary campaigner Robin Meltzer on Friday 13th February to look at a number of transport issues that had come out of a detailed survey conducted by Robin and the local Liberal Democrats.
Caroline Pidgeon AM, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on a report by the insurance company Aviva which has analysed police road traffic collision data between 2009 to 2013 on London’s roads, said:
These figures confirm that cycling around many gyratories and especially roundabouts such as the Elephant and Castle is nothing less than a Tour de Danger for cyclists.
Caroline Pidgeon AM, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, responding to today's announcement that the Mayor will provide automatic refunds to those who incur a higher fare than the former off-peak daily cap in outer London (Zones 4-6) twice or more in a week, said:
It’s shameful that the Mayor signed off changes to the fare structure without actually understanding what he was doing. His incompetence has cost outer London commuters dearly, with thousands having endured double digit fare rises since January.
Caroline Pidgeon AM, leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, commenting on the Mayor’s plans for London’s road network which he has announced in the United States said:
"This is exactly the kind of announcement that the Mayor of London should make in London, ideally at a press conference, where London’s media, including local newspapers, can properly question the Mayor on his specific proposals.